Originally I posted this in Flashy's garamet thread but I think it will too easily be lost there, so it gets it's own thread now. If nothing else this thread serves to prove why we should never get rid of rep... it serves a quick guide for people trying to catch up so that they can only read what is worth reading in a thread. Tex's rules for catching up on an overly-long-board-drama-thread: 1) Read the entire first page to get a good feel for the thread. 2) Start rolling the wheel on your mouse and look for the following signs of a good post- a) one rep comment- for the first 3 pages these tend to be handed a little slower, so stop for a quick glance if nothing else. After page 3 you may not miss anything in posts with only a single rep comment. After this refer to rule #3. b) multiple rep comments up to three- this post has a 49/49 shot of being a zinger that is hilarious or a winning point, the other 2% of the time it will be partisan repping between people who have chosen sides. After this refer to rule #3. c) multiple rep comments totaling 4 or above- this post has a 98% chance of being a hilarious zinger or it's a one of many nails in the coffin of the poster at the center of the controversy. After this refer to rule #3. d) Using Avatars you can quickly identify a) the thread starter b) the center of attention c) the source of drama(usually the same as the center of attention) d) the usual suspects, posters you know are gonna say something great, stop and give these poster's comments a quick glance. Warning, you may be tricked into reading a pointless filibuster in drama threads, so be cautious of what you spend your time reading, if they aren't right to the point or really damn funny, or me(cause everything I say is worth reading), move on. 3. The following applies to posts that you've stopped to read due to other circumstances only or if there is a super pyramid of quotes: Use the quotes to track down other important pieces of information. When you stop for a post and it has a quote from a previous post, this can help you catch up faster. 4. Read the last page fully, if it's only up to 2 or 3 posts then read the page before it as well, this will get you caught up to the moment. Now have fun posting. I hope this has been helpful. If there are any other good rules you can think of please feel free to amend this guide.
Well ya... that's covered by my filibuster rule, and I don't want to make my rules into a tldr cause they are already pushing that limit.
You can also wait a week or so, post a "will somebody tell me what the hell happened?" thread, and read the much funnier recaps instead.
I think the trick is to check the board enough through the day that you get to see the action unfold before your eyes. Nothing like being right there.
Those rules are all wrong. 1) Ignore the entire thread; 2) optional: Make a "Ban Packard" post. Any set of rules more complicated than that is too complicated for dealing with overly-long-board-drama-threads.
